[Ben]

http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-phones/news/2008/10/21/3-To-Design---Manufacture-Own-Brand-Handsets/p1

Trusted Reviews continues to get all hot under the collar for Three UK.


Is 3 sick of the mess the vast majority of companies continue to make of mobile phone UIs or is it just being plain innovative?

Whatever the reasoning, 3 has decided to follow the likes of Vodafone, Orange, O2 and T-Mobile in releasing its own brand handsets, but unlike the 'Big Four' networks they won't be simple rebrands (many of which were HTC originated hardware) but models it has designed from the ground up.

Conceived during the creation of the telco's successful 'Skypephone' line of handsets, the design and manufacturing company will be solidified, dubbed 'Inq' (pronounced 'ink', an abbreviation of 'inquire') and helmed by Frank Meehan, 3's former group handset boss. Inq will aim to produce 5-6 handsets over the next year with the first one due next month.

Rather than go head-to-head with the likes of the iPhone, N96, i8510, Bold, Storm, KC910, etc all Inq phones will be pitched at the PAYG sector and sit around the £50 to £80 bracket. They will focus on giving customers simple access to data services (3's biggest asset) and provide an integrated cross-platform IM client, email, Skype and social networking applications. Being made by 3 also means each will be equipped with fast 3G Internet access.

Now while such a move would usually force me to turn my scepticism filters to 11, I have to admit the price/performance propositions offered by the Skypephone line and - even more encouragingly - the thoughtful changes made between the original Skypephone and its super successor, the Skypephone S2, suggest some cause for optimism. Rather a lot, in fact.
So no pressure 3.

Welcome to the game, Inq - see you next month...

[3g-g]

Disaster waiting to happen, I'll put money on it.

[Ben]

Maybe they'll buy the handset division of NEC? :D Or Motorola? :D

[Boozer]

Maybe they'll buy the handset division of NEC? :D Or Motorola? :D

Either one will do, I`ve worked for both in the past and find myself redundant now...Giz-a-job!!!

But seriously...a disaster. Good idea but will fail.

[Ben]

Good idea but will fail.
I totally agree!

Posted from my 3 Talk3Gphone.

[miffed]

Silly really , as all the Networks seem to go through a phase of this , and none of them ever seem to learn from each others mistakes !

Maybe Three are reading into to far into the Skypephone's success ?

The only people I can imagine buying these phones are PAYG Kids (if the phone is "feature packed" ) and people that wouldn't normally carry a phone - so don't really have a clue about the market (i.e. My Mum ! )

I suppose there is an opportunity to steal the budget audience , if they can squeeze premium features into dirt cheap handset , But realistically , look at Three's past attempt at this ? - NEC & Motorola phone being sold on PAYG for LESS than the price of the credit included with them !! I remember going into superdrug and seeing Moto C975 (IIRC) going for a fiver !!

If they are not careful they'll be attracting the wrong kind of customer again :rolleyes:

[Hands0n]

3 may see some commercial benefit to designing their own handset but, and this is a very big but, as others have found Brand Name is [at least in the UK] paramount.

Speak with almost anyone and they'll tell you that they "always" buy a Sony Ericsson or Nokia and so on. They're barely interested in what the opposition has to offer, they just want the best in that particular brand, if they're that way inclined. Others, like a few good friends of mine, take simple pleasure in just getting an upgrade of the handset that they have grown accustomed to over the years.

To get this kind of Brand loyalty a company has to develop a reputation. Unfortunately in 3's case the only reputation they have is one that is tarnished by their appalling Customer Services operation. Nothing has changed there, people are still telling the same tales of woe as they did when 3 started up over five years ago!

And so looking forward to the cheaply manufactured 3 own-brand handsets, given their lack of ability to support customers, I can forsee a further increase in churn once these new handsets start to malfunction, as they surely will.

All in all, a disaster in the wings waiting to happen. Unless, of course, 3 are also ramping up a UK CS operation to support their new trinkets.

[miffed]

And so looking forward to the cheaply manufactured 3 own-brand handsets, given their lack of ability to support customers, I can forsee a further increase in churn once these new handsets start to malfunction, as they surely will.

All in all, a disaster in the wings waiting to happen. Unless, of course, 3 are also ramping up a UK CS operation to support their new trinkets.


Very good point - with the usual brands , most holes can be "dug out" by the user themselves by using info on t'internet before the customer has to resort to CS - this means the new handsets would put pressure on even a decent CS team - On Three , as you suggest , it is a disaster waiting to happen !

[miffed]

....Although having said that , it would be interesting to see if they use Android or Open source S60 to power these things .............. :cool:

[Hands0n]

Ok, its "mark my words" time :D

3 will lock their handsets down, heavily brand them, prevent them being used in any way that the don't want their punters to. The hoo ha with people getting all very hot under the collar about Apple and latterly HTC locking down the G1 "its my handset to do what I like with!!" will no doubt carry across to 3.